«Is she the greatest?» Janet grudgingly grimaced. It sounded like an exaggeration.
«Well, thats what they say. Everything shes ever told her visitors has come true, and they spread rumors about her. Would you like to visit her, too?»
Janet thought about it. It would be tempting, if her reputation as a soothsayer were true. After all, it might turn out to be nothing but empty bluster.
«Is the old Belladonna from the village still alive? They used to call her Mother Belladonna. She had a black cat named Thistle.»
Nyssa frowned for a long time before she remembered.
«Yes, I had heard of her. A common village witch doctor. What should we do with her? The girls gossiped that she knew how to exorcise unwanted love fetuses with potions. And that is all her skill.»
Janet blushed up to her ears.
«I swear to you, she could interpret dreams. My mother used to visit her»
«Did your mother visit her! Well, then she couldnt warn her about anything that might» Nyssa paused. They kept quiet about the Earls wife, who had disappeared, so as not to anger her master.
«Id still like to see her, if shes still alive»
«Wed better go to town. The fortune teller in Rhodolit might know all about dreams, if thats what you want to ask.»
«I dream of a knight,» Janet turned to Nyssa, who was putting a turtle comb in her hair.
«Well, maybe its your fiancé-to-be,» Nyssa tried to wriggle her way delicately to turn her mistress with the back of her head toward her and work on her hair again. The maid was still asleep, and the girls could talk without fear of being overheard.
«You can see your betrothed in a dream,» said Nyssa, who had heard it from many people. «You remember his face well. Could it be one of your fathers vassals? There are many knights in the Earls service.»
«I did not see his face,» said Janet. «Thats what its all about. In the dream I wanted to know what he looked like, but he was wearing a helmet. It is an unusual helmet. It was as if a dragons head had been taken off his shoulders and made into a helmet for a knight.»
«They say they used to make impenetrable armor from dragons skins,» Nyssa reminded her, «but thats all in the legends now.»
It was the knights armor that Janet did not remember. All she could see in the dream was his head, crowned with horns and spikes.
«There was fire, a sea of fire over the forest, and there were ugly creatures. They were all magical. They galloped around him. He didnt kill them, and they didnt kill him. And all his comrades-in-arms fell from their claws.»
Janet tried to remember everything exactly, and Nyssa listened and nodded, to draw one conclusion that she couldnt avoid.
«Youll have to tell the fortune teller in Rhodolite, and then everything will be clear.»
«What do you mean?» Janet didnt understand.
«Well, shell take a crystal ball and throw in it some colored stones, I think theyre called runes, and look at the lines in your palm, and take a drop of blood from your index finger.»
«Youve been through all this before?» Janet was amazed.
«Oh, no, I havent had a chance to get to her yet. There was a line, but the other girls told me something.»
«Thats interesting!» Janet admitted aloud, but thought to herself that she didnt want to go through all that.
«Lets go to Rhodolit,» Nyssa urged. «Besides the fortune teller, theres plenty of fun to be had there.»
To Nyssa, a fortune-telling was just a fun game. And for Janet, dreams were no joke. They left her feeling too dark. The same dream about the unknown knight repeated itself more and more often. Even if Nyssa was right, and she was dreaming of her fiance, he came from fire and a battle of supernatural beings. And with him came a danger.
The guests did not arrive until evening. By that hour, the castles inhabitants were all awake, as if they had cast a spell. Many of those who had served at the feast table were still yawning. Fortunately, the guests were too well-bred to disapprove.
Janet waited several hours in the observation tower for their arrival, and when the Dukes escort was approaching, her eyes glittered with colorful banners and even more colorful garments.
«It looks a bit like the robes of a fairy court!» Sang the same bird with the rainbow plumage. From nowhere, it appeared again above Janets head in the sky. The height of the observation tower was not too high for it. And the sentries werent paying attention to it.
«Why didnt you go into the woods?»
Janet looked discouraged at the rainbow bird. Where did it learn so many phrases and did she know what they meant. The parrots in the castle were only repeating what they heard from others. But Janet hadnt said a word yet. Only the bird spoke. Or rather sang. The melodious phrases were unaccustomed to her ears.
«Who is it?» Janet noticed a gentleman in the dukes entourage, dressed in rich crimson. What a dandy! He looks like a bright bird himself. It seems that the Duke had no son. And no one else in his retinue could have dressed so splendidly without making him jealous.
«Hes one of ours,» the bird chirped above Janets ear.
«Is he one of yours?» Janet asked again, but the bird was gone. It was gone faster than the wind. It must have flown into the woods.
The crimson-clad dapper suddenly looked up, directly at Janet, as if hed heard her. Could he have seen from such a great distance, for the observation tower was the tallest in the castle. Janet noticed that his eyes sparkled like two jewels. When everyone had already entered the castle, he stayed in the courtyard and bowed slightly to her. So he saw her. He must have eyes like a falcons.
He was not, however, to be found in the banquet hall. All the guests were assembled there, making dull chats about royal taxes, the harvest years, and the dangers of the forest roads. At this last topic, Janet perked her ears and suddenly noticed on the other side of the table, the same crimson-clad dandy whod been eyeing her in the tower. He smiled at her defiantly. His eyes really did sparkle, like two jewels. And he had a handsome face. His presence made Janet uneasy.
«I am Honor,» he said. «From the woods»
He must have been joking. Janet suddenly felt his palm on hers. How could he have touched her across a table? But she could clearly see his pale fingers on hers, as if his hand had detached itself from his body and reached out to her. Only it lasted only a moment.
Honor looked at the guests and servants as if nothing had happened, and his eyes danced with laughter. He kept on adjusting his blond hair, which had come loose from beneath his beret. He did not take off his beret or cloak. At the sight of the meat dishes on the table, especially the roast pigeons and partridges, he grimaced disapprovingly. He cursed through gritted teeth at the sight of a swan cooked with fruit, as if he could not understand how such noble animals could be served at the feast table. Janet shared his opinion, so she ate nothing either. Probably she and her guest had a lot in common.
In the plate in front of him there was a pile of rose petals instead of food. White and red! Does he think thats a treat? Janet noticed the same thing on her plate. Rose petals! Is this a mockery?
But none of her ladies were laughing. They were all busy talking to their guests. Janet could hear that it was becoming more and more difficult to travel in the country. Robber skirmishes! Robbers! Rebellious peasants! Only the Kings court is quiet, but it is in mourning because of someones death, which is why the Duke and his retinue have come here.
The rainbow bird flew into the hall, flew high above the table, and sat on the chandelier. None of the guests seemed to notice it. The harpists were playing, and the birds trills were indistinguishable from their music. Janet left the table, though, and followed the bird as it flew out of the hall. She looked for the rainbow plumage in the garden, by the fountain, among the tapestries in the hall, even in the corridors, but the bird, as usual, suddenly disappeared easily from sight.
Finishing her fruitless search, Janet found that the feast-room was already empty. The guests had gone to bed. How the time had flown by so quickly. Someone was still sitting in the hall. Soft voices came to her ears. Janet peered through the half-opened doors. Two men were seated at the table: her father and the Duke. In the dim light of the fireplace, her father looked even older and more haggard than usual. The precious rings on his hands contrasted sharply with his wrinkled skin.
«I wear them as amulets of protection against them,» he explained dryly to the Duke, who wondered. «Not all protection comes from semi-precious stones, but from some.»
Her fathers voice sounded cryptic. Janet tensed at the door. She thought she was eavesdropping on something she couldnt, but she couldnt move away anymore. She began to wonder.
The guest leaned across the table to the earl and whispered confidentially to her father.
«They have kidnapped one of the kings daughters.»
Kidnapped? Were there robbers in the forest? Janet listened attentively. So there are bandits nesting in the woods after all. Bandits are not demons, they can be dealt with. All you have to do is raise a militia. If shed had a brother, he would have done it. But her father was in no hurry. He was too old and too exhausted. Janet even thought; what a pity she had turned down all the suitors. Had she had a groom, he would have protected the neighborhood.
But the guest went on, and her heart felt creepy.
«It wasnt just my wife and yours that went missing. Some years ago they snatched an only son of duke Audrian. And theres not even a rumor of him since. People disappear, no one demands ransom, their bodies are nowhere to be found, it is no news of what became of them.»
«Has the kings daughter already been given a requiem, though no corpse has been found?»
«The corpse of your wife has not been found too!»
The duke clutched convulsively at the armrest of his throne.
«Dont remind me of Amaranta. She is with them now!»
«Probably the kings daughter is with them too. They do not know for certain at Court. No one has sent a spirit with a message to their castle.»
«Then she was treated as a victim. It happens more often.»
«Or not everyone loves their husbands or parents as much as Countess Amaranta, God rest her memory, because, her human shell has ceased to exist since she entered their circle,» the Duke saluted his half-empty glass and suddenly groaned bitterly. «They are strong, and the strong do what they please. There is no warrior yet born who could fight them. Though they say the Duke Audrians son killed a couple dozen of them before they dragged him away.»
«And what is of Duke Audrian himself now?»
«He has fallen ill. He had only one son, his only heir.»
«And did his illness bring him down in any unusual way?»
«Thats right!»
Janet understood less and less of the overheard conversation. When someone touched her shoulder, she almost shrieked. She was caught eavesdropping under the door like a maid. The girl turned around and noticed Honor standing quite far away from her and smiling slyly at her.
How could he touch her shoulder when they were separated by yards and yards of corridor? There was no one else around. He had magical arms that could extend to any length when he wanted to.
«Beautiful lady!» He bowed exquisitely, then approached. His steps were as inaudible as a cats. «Its been a long time since Ive seen such beauties as you. Among mortal women, I mean.»
Is it a joke? He said it as if he knew other women who werent mortal. Janet arched an eyebrow. He was either out of his mind or trying to impress her.
His crimson cloak, though satiny, resembled the plumage of a bird.
«Would you like to walk with me into the woods, fair Mistress?» He walked around Janet, as if he were evaluating her.
«But it would be dangerous, wouldnt it?»
«Nonsense,» he didnt even step on her train, stepping around behind her as if he hadnt even touched the floor. «It can be dangerous for some people. But danger shouldnt matter if you want to rescue the Fairies Queens prisoner.»
Janet fluttered her eyelashes incomprehensibly, and he grinned.
«There is a hostage of evil spirits waiting for you in the woods, my lady! Who else but you can help him?» Honor, without asking permission, took Janets left hand and pressed his lips to her palm.
«Its a beautiful bracelet,» he said, «but it burns!»
It wasnt the bracelet that burned, but the kiss. He was gone, as if hed fallen to the ground. Janet wondered if hed really been here, or if shed been dreaming again. But the imprint of his lips burned on her left palm. Normally ladies were kissed on the right hand. But on her right hand was the bracelet Honor had been praising. He was a strange young man!
The sounds of quiet conversation reached Janet. Father and guest were still talking. And a black bird hovered under the window, as if eavesdropping, and the ruby in its forehead glittered like a stone of blood.
A pedlar with magic in box
The main amusement in Rhodolit was the same Quentin. Here he not only sold goods, but also showed tricks. Who would have guessed that his box contained so many miracles. The young man was able to blow out colored pollen that took different shapes like a skilled glassblower, handfuls of glitter fell from his hands like stars, the ribbons in his hands suddenly changed their color. Young girls and even older women looked at him with genuine admiration.
As she passed him, Janet involuntarily stared. Had she known he was such a hustler before, she would have asked him to show his tricks at her fathers castle feast. Instead, he showed them in the town square. And some nimble creatures, resembling large toads, deftly snatched the buckles and purses of anyone who glanced at Quentin.
He was a pedlar with magic in his box. Well, isnt that amazing! He had time to both peddle and do tricks.
«He is a pretty boy!» Nyssa whispered, gazing up at him. «I should buy some ribbons from him. Hes so pretty, isnt he?»
«Havent you noticed how pointy his ears are?» Janet frowned involuntarily. «Its like two oysters hiding under a beret.»
«It is nonsense!» Nyssa didnt seem to notice his ugliness. But Janet could see that his ears were disproportionately large and very pointed upward. He covered them with his beret as best he could, but sometimes the beret slid down and they stuck out. The charming girls who surrounded him didnt seem to notice this flaw either.
«Show me something else,» they asked. Even the sullen matrons began to flirt with him.
«He wont notice us now,» Janet commented. She had the impression he was watching her intently, though his eyes were fixed on her in another direction.
«Lets take a walk after all!» Nyssa jumped out of the carriage. Janet followed her, but there was no getting close to Quentin. Too many young ladies were begging him vigorously for more tricks or to sell them cheaper rarities. This time he was even selling shells. And they were all unusually shaped and rainbow-colored. So she wasnt imagining it when she saw the motley shells in the spring. Quentin had even managed to get them!